Do not go Gentle into that Good Night
by Lumos314
Summary: When Jessie catches a lonely litwick, the two become fast friends. However, something sinister is going on beneath the surface that leads to a tragedy... How can Jessie cope when two pokèmon are dead, all thanks to her?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Ugh, why did we follow the Twerp into another haunted mansion?" Jessie shoved spiderwebs out of her face as she crawled along the dusty floor, careful not to let the crackle of electricity from the room below drift too far away.

A fat, black spider scuttled past her towards James and she heard him whimper. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we weren't sneaking around the attic," he said.

"Yeah, you were 'da one who wanted to go 'dis way. James an' I -"

"Shh!" Jessie cut him off, standing up and listening intently. "Did you just hear something?"

The others joined her. "Naw. It's prob'ly just..." The cat pokèmon stopped mid sentence as there was a distinct creak and crack from the floor. Suddenly, it gave way and the three tumbled to the ground.

They screamed, landing on a heap right in front of the three wide eyed kids. They quickly straightened themselves off and shakily began their speech. The twerps listened wide eyed and intently. _For once they must appreciate our genius,_ Jessie thought proudly. She smirked, before realizing that they had all gone pale and were looking at something over her head. She and her teammates turned slowly around and came face to face with a very large and angry looking gengar. They screamed again and dashed away, James and Meowth in one direction and her in the other.

When she was safely in a brightly lit room, she slammed the door behind her. Of course, the gust of air put out the chandelier and she blinked in the darkness, leaving her eyes half open and expression flat.

She spotted a dim, eerie glow behind a box in the corner and rushed to it, eager for any sort of comfort, only to find another ghost; the source of the hazy light was a tiny Litwick, terrified out of its mind at the huge human towering over it. She scowled. "Oh, great, another ghost pokèmon. And such a weakling, too; I can't even catch it for the boss."

It whimpered and closed its eyes before lunging and trying to run around her. She noticed one of its feet dragging and whispered an "Oh."

It tripped and fell and cried out. She knelt down, reaching her hand out tentatively to stroke it - it was such a young thing - but it shied away almost angrily and she huffed. _The one time I try to do something nice._ Standing up, she pursed her lips and said, "Fine. I'll do this the hard way. Pokèball, go!"

The litwick became a little red wisp that settled securely in the pokèball, which wiggled a few times before sitting still. She picked it up, tossed it, and snapped it to her belt, deciding that it was time to go search for the others and the exit.

(O)

After an hour of fumbling through the dark and going a net distance of about three rooms, Jessie gave up on making it out herself. She was reluctant to bring out litwick to guide her - what if it refused to help or tried to run off? Biting the bullet, and her lip, she grabbed the pokeball. "Litwick, I choose you."

The little candle blinked a few times and looked around, murmuring fearfully. "It's okay..." Jessie's voice, though weak and uncertain, startled it and it jumped. _This is exactly why I don't try to comfort people. Or pokèmon._ "I know you're hurt, but I'm lost and I need to get out." The litwick didn't move, staring at her with wide eyes. "Look, I'll take you to a pokèmon center when we escape this place." It began to back away and she knelt down, offering her hand. She took a breath and tried to say the word, finally forcing it out in a rush as she looked away. "Please."

There was a moment of silence but then she felt something warm climb into her hand. "Lit...litwick." It said. She blinked at it in surprise, then unsteadily stood up.

Not only did Litwick's flame allow her to see where she was going, but the little pokèmon also knew his way around pretty well. Each time they came to a door it would nudge Jessie's hand to tell her which path to take. Within only a few minutes she was outside the back of the house, blinking in even the dim twilight.

She smiled a little. She was exhausted, but that was to be expected from wandering through the dark like that. "Litwick, return." It obediently slid back into its pokèball and Jessie walked around the manor until she ran into the feuding man and meowth at the front.

"Look, 'dere she is! I told ya 'dat she'd be fine on her own."

James, whose back was towards her, turned to look. Tears streamed down his face. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" He threw himself into a hug and Jessie stood there awkwardly, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

"What, have you two been arguing about whether I'd make it or not?" It was difficult to decide whether to chuckle, hug him back and enjoy the moment, or explode. She decided on the latter; it wasn't the best course of action but it was the easiest. "I've been wandering around for over an hour trying to get out of that dump! You could've tried to help somehow."

"See! I knew we needed to help her," James sobbed. His concern had been touching at first but now it was bordering on obnoxious, and the butterflies in her stomach were making her nauseous.

Unsure what to do, she roughly shoved him off her shoulders. "You're not off the hook either," she snarled. "If you'd really wanted to help you should've done something more than just cat fight!" She bashed him over the head and his eyes spun.

Meowth tried to dash away while she was preoccupied. "Get back here, you little rat!"

The pokèmon stopped. "Rat?! I'll have youse know 'dat I'm way better 'dan a t'ousand a 'dose low lives!" His pause was enough to allow his furious partner to catch up and whack him with the giant mallet she'd pulled from nowhere. The cat's eyes swirled in rhythm with his comrade's.

Jessie began to stomp away as the two laid on the ground. When she realized they weren't following, she groaned and angrily grabbed a leg of each and dragged them through the forest behind her.

(O)

 **Author's Note** :So, I'm finally back! I've been working super hard on this one, and I can promise that this time I'll finish it in under a year, especially since it's all already written! :D

I should probably mention a headcanon of mine that pokeballs can be used for storing things that aren't pokemon. This stems from the episode where, instead of catching a mankey, Ash manages to catch a "jelly doughnut" (Ah, localization.)

This started out as a small, symbolic fic and expanded into something far more than that. XD I'm very proud of it, so I hope you'll all like it. :)

See you soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The clock the team carried in their pack read well past midnight and Jessie was still wide awake. Her partners had both fallen asleep hours ago, but she hadn't been able to join them. Thoughts had been swirling around in her head, unwelcome and unrelenting. She didn't want to think about their constant failure, her horrible anger, or her doubts about her life.

She looked around for something else to dwell on. Her eyes fell on her belt of pokèballs, which was everything she owned. One held Arbok; one, Wobbuffet; another, Litwick; and the last, her meager possessions. She knew the outlier contained a spare uniform, her makeup, a few dollars, what little costume supplies she kept on hand rather than stealing, her hairbrush and hair gel, the hideous pair of glasses she was supposed to wear but never did, her favorite mirror, and her bright red mallet.

Her mind began to wander to those unpleasant thoughts again and she stood up, almost going to organize her things to keep herself busy. Then she remembered that they were about five minutes' walk from a city. She couldn't recall its name, but she figured it didn't matter as long as there was someone there to occupy her time and caffeine to keep her awake the next day.

She pulled out a pen and paper from James's pokèball of possessions and scrawled a note: "I'll be back in the morning. ~Jessie" She didn't do this every night, but it was a common enough occurrence that the pair wouldn't be too worried. Though, there was always a strange tension between her and James the next day. Thinking about that, and the almost disappointed look she would occasionally catch on his face during those times, she felt slightly uncomfortable about the idea.

 _It doesn't matter,_ she rationalized as she fixed her makeup. _It's not like we're a couple or anything._ She brushed out her hair into its trademark swirl and settled the note on her pillow before making her way into town. She would swipe something nicer than her uniform at one of the shops and find a guy at the bar to pay for a drink. She was sure that there would be plenty of them willing. The problem would be finding the right one - someone who wouldn't expect much from her, either in the way of commitment or passion.

As she walked briskly through the trees, a familiar rush of nausea welled up in her. She hated it, but at the same time it thrilled her. She pondered it for a moment until clouds passed in front of the moon and distracted her. If only she had brought Litwick along; it would have provided just enough light to see by. Plus, it was growing on her. It had been a couple days since she had caught it, and now that its leg was doing better - the Pokèmon Center had miraculously not known who they were and healed it right away - she let the candle pokèmon walk alongside them a bit. It was a cute little thing, even though she knew it would grow into something terrifying. It's later evolution, Chandelure, was something she knew even most Team Rocket members were afraid of. This one, though, didn't seem so harmless. Perhaps it was like Magikarp and Gyrados: the former isn't very frightening or useful while the latter is volatile and dangerous.

After running into only one tree, thank goodness, she made it to the edge of the city. The bright lights hurt after all the darkness and she felt that nausea creep in again. She closed her eyes and buried it away, taking a deep breath and striding out into the city, hoping she would be able to ignore it.

(O)

It was very late, now, and she was still awake. Her companion for the night had fallen asleep and she was finally beginning to fade. She felt slightly better than she had earlier; when her mind again began to wander, she leaned into his inviting yet cold embrace.

The thrill from earlier hadn't left. The feeling that she had done something terrible mingled with adrenaline and excitement and coiled inside her. As she tried not to think too hard about it, lest she begin to fear that rebelliousness rather than cultivate it, it rocked her slowly, uncertainly, to sleep.

(O)

 **Author's Note:** So, after a week at family camp, I'm back again! This chapter was inspired by Switchfoot's "Easier than Love". They were my favorite band when I was little, and I never really thought about the lyrics until now. It really makes you think, y'know?

Another thing I'd like to say is that I absolutely adore Rocketshipping. It's so freaking cute. XD It's quickly becoming pretty darn close to my OTP, which is saying something because Layton/Emmy and Luke/Flora are the best. XD

I forgot the disclaimer last time, so, for the whole story, I don't own Pokèmon or Do not go Gentle into that Good Night. (The poem, not the story. XD I just have to say, Dylan Thomas is a mad genius)

Thanks for reading, everyone. See you soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"We are _not_ lost!" The boy huffed as the double trouble trio watched from a bush nearby. They'd been following him for some time with yet another plan to purloin Pikachu.

"We've been following this canyon for three hours with no sign of a path!" The red-haired girl shouted back, loudly enough to make both James and Meowth wince. _Tell that twerp!_ Jessie silently urged the girl. As much as she hated the three kids, she sometimes couldn't help herself from getting emotionally involved.

"I almost feel sorry for him. We know how it feels to have a girl that moody shouting at us." James muttered dejectedly. The cat pokèmon solemnly nodded his agreement as Wobbuffet appeared beside him and did the same.

Jessie glared and wished she had claws like Meowth. However, her favorite red mallet would have to do as punishment for their insolence.

"Stop your moaning and get ready! They're almost here!" When the two that were left didn't respond - she'd recalled the patient pokèmon to its pokèball - she pulled her gaze from the twerp to her partners. They were both passed out beside her. "Agh! Get up, get up, _get up_!" she whined, slapping the pair back and forth across the face. Litwick, who had taken to riding on her shoulders now, joined in by jumping on their heads.

James blinked his slightly teary eyes and sat up, pulling a pokèball from his belt. "Wheezing, I choose you!" As the poison pokèmon sprang from its container, it's trainer added, "Smokescreen attack!"

"Wheezing." It complied and the air filled with thick smog. Jessie's eyes started watering in the haze and her throat tickled, but she was determined not to react. She _wouldn't_ fall asleep or betray their location. Her little mid-plot nap last time had caused them all to go blasting off again. Those scratches still hadn't healed.

She'd been noticing herself getting more and more tired as time passed. Instead of going on late-night escapades to keep her thoughts at bay, she was falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She didn't put much thought into it, though, shrugging the whole thing off and slapping herself awake to hide it from her partners. She was Jessie of Team Rocket and she was completely fine!

The three kids coughed, only a few feet away now. Once they stopped, the tallest said, "This isn't just normal fog. I think this is one of Team Rocket's attacks."

The female Rocket grabbed her human partner by the wrist, almost distracted enough to not notice the strange feeling that shot up her arm, and strode into their path. "Prepare for Trouble!" The motto always gave her such a thrill of exhilaration and she wasn't disappointed this time.

James caught his balance and followed up with, "And make it double!"

As the two continued, The cat pokèmon weaved through the smog with a glass cage in his hands. Jessie lost sight of him for a moment and panicked, and almost messed up her lines.

"Meowth, that's right!" He slid off her shoulders with the cage full and she suppressed a sigh of relief.

The fog was finally clearing up as the Twerp noticed what Meowth had done. "Pikachu!"

The response was a desperate "Chuuuu!" and a thundershock that, as usual, did nothing more than turn on the above lightbulb. She smirked. _You'd think it would have given up on that by now._

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't notice the oncoming battle until she was face to face with a Charizard. "Arbok, go!" she scrambled.

She and her pokèmon barely dodged an ember attack before returning with a wrap of her own. She heard her partner yell for a tackle and mimicked, following up with a poison sting attack. Surprisingly, the Charizard came off worse for wear; it was badly poisoned and she went to wrap it again. She was even more shocked than the Twerp when one of Charizard's wings was injured and it was incapacitated. She had actually taken down one of his pokèmon!

Carefully watching the battle, Meowth threw Pikachu over the side of the canyon into the waiting net as the Twerp pulled out his next pokèmon. As she battled, she surreptitiously made her way to the edge, getting ready to jump off and follow.

The sudden sound of shattering glass made them all pause for a second. The cat pokèmon leapt to look into the canyon, and before she knew what was happening Jessie had new scratches dug into her face. "Youse were suppos'ta get 'da net ready!"

Her face went pale. "Then that sound wasn't..."

The Twerp must have been thinking something along the same lines; he ran to the side of the canyon and peered over. "You... Pikachu..." His eyes were wide and his hand had gone to his mouth. He turned and stared Jessie in the face, shouting his next words. " _You killed Pikachu!_ "

Something in him snapped as he let every one of his pokèmon out for this battle with hot tears streaming down his face; he attacked relentlessly and didn't stop calling directions for a second. Team Rocket had lost battles against him time and time again, but there was something different about this one that instilled pure terror in the trio. Arbok and Wheezing were quickly beaten, as were Victreebel and Wobbuffet, though the latter pair managed to take out another two pokèmon. There was nowhere to go; the cliff to the side was too steep and the surrounding forest was too thick for a swift retreat. Without their escape net ready - how could she have forgotten?! - Jessie had no choice. "I choose you, Litwick!"

It was an incredible battle. Despite its weakness, the little pokèmon was fast and energized, and thus able to finish off another of the Twerp's assassins by just wearing it out. Once it was down to only two, it became an intricate dance; one pokèmon was bent on avenging a friend while the other was determined to keep its trainer safe. However, although Litwick's execution amazed the spectators to the battle, it was clear that the boy's pokèmon was simply better trained and the little ghostly candle was just barely holding on. With what seemed like its last bit of strength, it launched itself at Jessie and she caught it in her arms as it fainted.

There was a pause where the only noise was the boy sniffling and breathing heavily. Then there was a sudden tear of her insides as if something was ripping its way through her gut. She screamed as Litwick regained consciousness and fought back again, catching everyone present off guard. The pain and the pokèmon got stronger and stronger as she fell to her knees with uncontrollable tears streaming down her face. The terrible seconds became agonizing minutes as the battle continued, intense and desperate.

Finally, Jessie couldn't take it anymore and fell unconscious. As she collapsed, so did her pokèmon, but she knew - Litwick was dead.

(O)

 **Author's Note:** So, this chapter was a bit more intense, huh?

Sorry I took so long to post it; I had a busy week and lost track of time.

Anyway, if this was confusing, don't worry. I'm hoping I cleared up everything awkward in the next chapter. (Beta readers, don't fail me now! XD)

See you soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

When Jessie finally awoke, she had such a splitting headache and fever she wondered if she had breathed in stun spore again. She sat up in the lone bed of the mostly empty cabin room, crying out in pain.

"What... What happened?" she croaked. Her voice horrified her, and she desperately wished she could check her appearance in a mirror. _Then again, maybe not,_ she thought, feeling her limp, oily hair.

"Jessie! You're awake!" Her companions, in the adjoining room, had run over at her moan. James jumped to a stop and grinned. He had probably been about to hug her and she was mostly grateful that he hadn't; she was in enough pain as it was.

The cat pokèmon was behind him with a cup of water. He held it out to her and she shakily, painfully gulped the ice cold liquid down.

She repeated her question again: "What happened?"

The pair exchanged glances before James started to speak. "When you passed out, the Twerp didn't call off his pokèmon. It got a few more blows in before his friends held him back and he started to cry. They all ran off to try and find a way into the canyon, but when we looked over the edge Pikachu's body was gone. That was two days ago." As much as she didn't want to, Jessie's mind couldn't help imagining the pokèmon's bruised and bloody body at the bottom of the cliff, lifeless and surrounded by broken glass. She shuddered and tried to forget the image.

"After 'dat, we took you to 'da Pokèmon Center at 'da nearest town 'cuz they didn't 'ave a hospital. 'Da nurse said 'dat Litwick had been drainin' your life force since it met you and 'dat's why you've been so tired all 'da time."

Her eyes widened. "How did you...?!"

"You've practically been a zombie for the last two weeks. How could we _not_ notice?" He looked concerned and, though she would completely deny it, she was touched that he cared.

"Nurse Joy said that Litwick must have used as much of your life force as possible to keep itself going. It... It could have killed you but luckily you're alright. You should be fine after a week or two of rest. But..."

Meowth picked up and said what she knew was coming. Her knowledge didn't ease the overwhelming regret and heaviness that she felt, though. "But Litwick was dead when we got 'dere. It burned itself out with all 'dat bat'lin'."

"I'm sorry, Jess, there was nothing we could do."

They were all silent for a moment as she told herself that she _would not_ cry.

"It's fine. I didn't even like that thing anyway," she snapped. She was glad that the two didn't respond to her obvious lie. "I'm hungry. Isn't there anything to eat around here?"

"Come on, Jimmy. We should go scrounge som'tin' up."

The two walked away as Jessie rolled onto her side. She spent the next hour trying to think of anything besides that battle. Of course, she succeeded at doing nothing but that, replaying the scene over and over and trying to uncover what that heavy, nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach was. It was when she felt Litwick's life fade away for the third time that she realized: she felt guilty. This was her fault; if only she had remembered to set out the net or had stopped her pokèmon friend from pushing its limits…!

But did it even deserve that title? Ever since she had met it, it had been sucking away her life force. What she thought of as a comrade was actually slowly killing her. If it hadn't died... What would have happened to her?The feelings of betrayal and guilt were battling in her head and she just wanted to scream at it to _shut up._

It was at that point that James walked into the small room bearing a tray of soup. As he shut the door with his foot and came closer, she saw that there were crackers next to the bowl. "We swiped some soup from a store nearby. It was a two-for-one special; the crackers were free." Jessie cracked a smile and shook her head. Even if his jokes were terrible, they were still a bit funny.

He set the tray down on the table next to her and helped her to a more comfortable position. She started to eat, wincing between bites. As she was picking up the spoon, he put his warm, soft hand on hers.

"James, I'm fine." Her voice was steady and strangely calm, unlike her hand which was trembling slightly from the strain of grasping the silverware.

He raised his eyebrows. "Jessie, no you're not. I'll do it; it's alright."

She grimaced again. "Whatever." She would have put up more of a fight but he was right. Not that she'd tell him that.

He lifted the blanket and sat beside her, spooning the liquid into her mouth. It was warm going down her throat - almost as warm as the feeling of his left arm against hers. She blushed at the thought and told her brain to be quiet so she could eat her soup.

Once the bowl was empty, he didn't get up. She was glad; that would've meant that she would have to ask in order for him to come back. Not because she liked him specifically being there or anything, she quickly justified. It was only because it was cozy and comfortable. It could have been Meowth and she would have felt the same.

She changed her mind when he gently pushed a lock of hair out of her face and a pleasant shiver ran down her spine.

"Are you feeling any better?"

The very cheesy, usually buried, hopeless romantic part of her wanted to say something like, "As long as you're here I feel perfect." She was a little disgusted by it; she supposed it was better than the thoughts of the battle, but really? At a time like this?

The actual Jessie went with, "For the most part, no." She then surprised herself. "The soup was good. Thanks." Where did that come from? She wasn't usually grateful.

"Uh..." James seemed to be just as confused. "You're welcome?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Don't get used to it; the fever must be getting to my head."

There was silence again for a few minutes. It wasn't awkward; it was nice. Though, she did have to resist the urge to lean into him. The fever really _must_ have been messing with her head. It wasn't as if she had never felt these feelings before, but never this strongly. Plus, ever since Litwick had joined them, she'd just been too tired for such nonsense.

Litwick. Thinking about the pokèmon brought back all her ambivalent feelings from earlier. She pursed her lips and turned away from James. She was fine. She didn't care about that dumb thing anyway.

"Jessie, what's wrong?" She noticed her vision getting blurry and squeezed her eyes shut. She was _not_ going to cry. No way, no how. She was strong, beautiful, and prone to a temper, not weak and emotional.

"Nothing's wrong!" She snapped. The force allowed a few tears to seep under her lids and she hid her face even more.

He ignored her words and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She shivered and lurched, still tensing to keep herself from crying.

"It's okay. Don't be afraid." But she was. She was so scared and she didn't know what to do.

The wall shattered and she heaved a sob. "It's okay," he whispered again and again as she shook.

It was a long time before her tears began to dry. By that point she was simply exhausted and just wanted to sleep. She told her partner as much and he stood up to help her lie down, cold air filling the space he had left behind.

Even so, she had already began to drift off as he said, "It'll all be alright. I promise." He squeezed her hand, and by the time he had shut the door she was asleep.

(O)

 **Author's Note:** And there's that. If there's anything that's still confusing you, feel free to leave a review with the question. I should be able to answer it unless it spoils the rest of the story. XD

I originally wrote this chapter back when I was intending this story to be a ship fic. However, as I continued to write, I realized that this is Jessie doing the same thing she does back in chapter two: she's turning to romance, though subconsciously in this case, to distract her from the issue at hand. That's why it isn't classified as a "Romance" genre - because this story is about Jessie overcoming that tendency, and learning to develop a healthy relationship.

Thanks to my viewers, and my follower and favoriter. Reviews would be appreciated, though. XD

See you soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Nurse Joy must have been wrong. It had been three weeks and Jessie was feeling more wretched than before. Her head hurt every day, she felt nauseous to the point where she didn't want to eat, and she was still exhausted.

Even so, a few days after Jessie was able to leave her bed, they resumed trying to steal pokèmon for the boss. He had not been pleased when he had found out that they managed to kill not only one of Team Rocket's pokèmon, but also the bothersome, supposedly super-powerful Pikachu the trio had been chasing for over a year. She felt horrible enough about everything as it was; at least if she could get some pokèmon for the boss that problem would be solved.

Still, it was hard to do her best when her mind was a constant battlefield for anger, guilt, and hopelessness. She couldn't even delude herself into thinking that maybe it was Meowth's or James's fault that each scheme failed; each day only brought more confusion and chaos and defeat, and it was all her fault.

James tried to help. He kept telling her it was okay even when blasting off landed him a nasty bruise on his head. Everything only made her feel worse. It was strange; a few weeks ago she would have milked that for all it was worth. But that was back when the annoying little voice in her head had almost managed to convince her, despite her complete denial, that maybe, possibly, she really, really liked James. Butterfree had flocked in her stomach every time he got close. Now she wasn't so sure. Every time he tried to comfort her it just felt empty.

To be honest, everything felt empty. Stealing pokèmon was pointless since they would never succeed. Even if her friends cared for her she would always let them down. Plus, nothing she usually enjoyed would get rid of this feeling, so what was the point?

Then, whenever she found herself thinking this way, her emotions shifted and she became angry: angry that she had forgotten the net, had killed two pokèmon, had cried in front of James, had become so weak and hopeless. She had always been the optimist; her team and even her foster mother, back when she was small, had always counted on her to look on the bright side when things weren't going well. So what had happened to that positive outlook? Why couldn't she see anything but pessimism?

The battle would rage back and forth and sleep was her only relief. She found herself taking three or four naps every day, almost every second they weren't out failing at another pokè-stealing plan. Usually, James and Meowth left her to her own devices. However, one day was different.

"Jessie?" Her human partner poked his head through the cracked open door. Through her sleepiness, she could see that his head still bore that awful bruise and she winced as guilt coiled in her stomach.

"Yes?"

He walked in and gently closed the door before gulping and taking a deep breath. "We… Meowth and I thought it would be a good idea to take a trip."

Jessie furrowed her eyebrows. "Where?"

"Just an old summer cottage of mine." He avoided her gaze and waved his hand dismissively. "Everything is all planned and packed so we thought we would leave tonight."

She shrugged. "Well, alright. I'm sure that will be nicer than this old place."

He let out a breath of relief. "Get dressed in something that's not your uniform and make sure you're all packed up. Meowth and I will go look for something to eat."

"Don't bother to save me anything; I'm fine." She started to get up from her bed but stopped when she noticed James's skeptical stare. "What?"

"But you haven't eaten all day. You have to have _something_."

"I'm really not hungry." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sun beginning to set through the window. She pushed a still worried James out of the room. "Go on. If you don't get back soon it'll be dark."

His expression wavered. "Well, fine. We'll be right back!" He left and closed the door behind him as she began to search for an outfit.

(O)

They all took off in the balloon as soon as Jessie was ready. The trip mostly consisted of superficial small talk amongst the team and whispered conversations between Meowth and James when they thought she was asleep. When night fell, they landed in a clearing and set up camp.

She was about to fall asleep, for the third time that day, when a rustle in a nearby bush startled her. "Wha…?"

Three angry chansey popped out, followed by a furious pikachu. "Pipi-Kachu!" The thing was covered in scars and its arm was bent at a slightly odd angle. It seemed familiar… but it couldn't be the Twerp's Pikachu, could it?

The chansey began to repeatedly attack them while the odd pokèmon out sat back, giving orders and glaring. "Pika pikachu kachu-pi!"

Meowth blinked as he dodged a take down. "What?!"

"Pika pikachu kachu-pi!"

If the cat pokèmon did not have cream-colored fur, Jessie thought he would have been pale. "'Dat t'ing just said, 'My name is pikachu. Youse almost killed me. Prepare to die.' An' I hope it ain't bein' serious." He shivered.

James put a finger to his chin and looked up thoughtfully. "I think that's from a movie of some sort. _The Pokèmon Bride_?"

"Stop making references and do something!" Jessie snapped. She was wide awake now, her skin crawling, and her partners were a little too close. She shoved them away and scratched at her arms, which didn't work, as the two exchanged glances.

James bit his lip. "Come with us." Five of the other six there stopped and stared at him, the electric pokèmon with haughty disbelief and the rest in shock. "I know you have no reason to believe me, but we're going to someone who can help treat your injuries. We swear we won't take you to the Boss."

Pikachu snarled and haphazardly tried to tackle him. He sighed and easily sidestepped. "It was worth a try. Victreebel, go!" He signaled to Meowth, who quickly scurried away, before slipping on a gas mask.

Jessie caught onto his plan, but it was too late. "Don't you dare…!" Her own mask was tucked away among her costume supplies and there was no way she'd be able to get to it in time.

James looked at her apologetically. "Victreebel, use - Get off of me!" She still tried to grab her pokèball of possessions before her partner could dislodge the rogue pokèmon, but she didn't make it. "Ugh. Use sleep spore!"

Before she could make it more than another few steps, she was asleep yet again.

(O)

 **Author's Note:** I'm so sorry about the long delay! I mean, I know no one is reading this, but I still feel a little bad. XD

Hopefully I'll manage to get the next chapter up soon. See you then! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

When she awoke, she was dazed. It took the sight of a very distraught and angry pikachu in a rubber cage, with a familiar light bulb attached, to remind her of what had happened. She surveyed her surroundings aside from the cage; it was morning again and they were all in the balloon. There was a box with delicious looking scrambled eggs and two members of Team Rocket who had a lot of explaining to do.

She stood up and cleared her throat loudly, glaring pointedly at them. "Elucidate. Now." She wasn't angry per se, just annoyed. Very, very annoyed.

Her foot tapped impatiently as the human of the pair turned around with a sheepish grin on his face. She hadn't noticed until then that Meowth was asleep; she supposed that he had been up all night flying the balloon and had let James take over. "I'm really sorry about the sleep spore… But there was no way I could convince Pikachu to come with us!"

She waited for him to continue, and when he didn't she said, "And…?"

"And what?"

"And why is it so important for it to come with us?"

His eyes grew wide and he looked around in a panic. "Because… because…" He gave up, letting out a sigh and tilting his head down. "Because we're going to see my Nanny and Pop-Pop. They're the most caring people I've ever known and I thought that maybe they could help you. Plus, if we brought Pikachu along and it got healed then you wouldn't have to feel bad about the net anymore!"

Jessie was confused. She was just fine; she didn't need help. Plus, why had it been such a big deal to say? She told James as much and he sighed again. When he looked up, his eyes were shining and looked a little wet.

"Jessie, you're not fine at all. You haven't been eating; you've lost so much weight. You sleep all day and just aren't yourself anymore. I…" He closed his eyes. "I was worried so I talked to Nurse Joy and she said you have something called Depression. She told me that a change of scenery would be good for you and that we should try to be understanding and helpful."

"James, I…" She had been about to say that she didn't know what he was talking about. However, something in the back of her mind told her he was right. There was a book she had carried around with her for years, now: Caring for Pokèmon and People - The Official Joy's Guide to Nursing. She'd swiped it a long time ago as a reminder of both her dream and everything that had stood in her way. Since then, she had read it numerous times, including the chapter on mental health. She ran over the symptoms of Depression, which she now had memorized, and realized that they matched pretty well with how she was feeling. Her stomach flipped.

"I can't stand to see you this way," he sobbed. "But I don't know how to help!"

It was quiet for a long time after that, with no sound besides James's sniffles and Meowth's snores. Her head was spinning with this new revelation, and she felt she ought to comfort her friend, but she wasn't sure how. So, she turned to her constant companion as of late and took a nap.

(O)

It was another two days before they arrived. Jessie spent most of the time sleeping and eating more of the delicious eggs her team members had stolen. Again, there was plenty of small talk and whispered conversations, and now the two humans were also doing their best to ignore the phanpy in the balloon. This went very well; there was no more discussion of Jessie's condition or why they were taking Pikachu.

Finally, on the evening of the third day of traveling, they made it to James's summer "cottage", which, as Meowth pointed out, was bigger than the _house_ of that woman with the Snubbull. The boy simply blushed and looked away.

Then there were introductions to be made. James was determined not to let his grandparents know about their place in Team Rocket, so during the trip there had been a long lecture on stealing pokèmon and how he didn't care if they stole from anyone else in the universe but _not_ his Nanny and Pop-Pop. The others had dutifully nodded and promised to keep their hands to themselves.

Then they implied that she and James were a couple. This prompted plenty of hearty denial and assertions that they were _just friends_. Especially from him, she noticed.

Then they were disbursed to the guest rooms while the grandparents tended to Pikachu and cooked dinner. Jessie had her own room, all to herself. There was a big, fluffy bed and a huge vanity and her own guest bathroom, and she wondered yet again how James could have given up a life like this for their little traveling band of failure.

Finally, after a small salad for dinner and a long, hot shower which at least let her feel clean, she climbed under the warm covers and realized that she was a little bit lonely. The bed, the food, the house for that matter - it was all hollow. For once, she thought she might understand James's point of view: to be surrounded by a society so fake and empty day in and day out would have to be absolutely stifling.

Still, it was warm and she was tired. Yet again, she faded off to sleep.

(O)

 **Author's Note:** I didn't realize until this point that I was ending most of these chapters with Jessie falling asleep... Though I suppose it fits. XD

Thank you so much to my guest reviewer! It really made my day. :)

I don't really have much to say about this chapter, as it's more of a transition than anything else. So, see you all soon. :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The next day she awoke in the dark to rain and a knocking at her door. "Jessie?"

"What, James?" she groaned, rolling over so she could read the clock. She did a double take, hoping that, in her tiredness, she had misread. No, she hadn't; it really was 5:45 AM.

"Come on, get up. I want to show you something."

"But it's six in the morning," she whined.

"And? We've gotten up earlier to try and steal Pikachu. Can I come in?"

She sighed, "Sure," before rolling over again, closing her eyes, and pulling the blanket closer. Before she knew what was happening, she was drenched in freezing cold water. "James!" she screeched.

He had a kind of lopsided grin, somehow both apologetic and not at the same time, and a bucket in his hand. She easily put two and two together - the clues as well as the bucket and James's head. Once he couldn't see, as the container was over his eyes, she took great pleasure in slapping it back and forth, finishing the whole thing off by knocking him onto the drenched bed.

"Have a taste of your own medicine," she spat. "Now that I'm awake I might as well come with you." She grabbed some clothes and stalked to the bathroom, leaving him to soak.

When she returned, he was up again, staring into the mirror with a lost expression. "Well? Are we going or not?"

He started and after a moment, said, "Yeah."

The pair left quietly, taking care not to wake anyone up, even though not much could if Jessie's shouts earlier hadn't. Once they were outside, she complained that there wasn't much point in wearing a rain jacket if she was already wet. She was still angry at him for waking her up, even though she didn't want to be; it wasn't like feeling angry was pleasant.

She sighed and stopped talking since James clearly wasn't listening. She wished there was some way to make sense of all her emotions and keep them under control. There were times when she was furious and had absolutely no idea why. Hadn't she had enough of this madness during puberty? She felt as wild and unpredictable as a primeape.

The rain slowed as they made their way up a hill, Jessie following her partner's lead for once. By the time they reached the top it had become no more than a sprinkle and her anger had finally cleared, though the pair was exhausted. There was a rock just big enough for the two of them and they both sat down. Their faces were flushed from the exercise.

James check his watch. "It should only be a few minutes now."

"Good. I'm already getting tired again and I can't wait to go back to sleep."

She was surprised when James frowned and responded, "Just sleeping all the time isn't going to help, you know."

"I know that," she snapped. "But I'm always tired and there has to be some eye to my storm. It's certainly not you, whispering behind my back and waking me up at six AM."

If she had been shocked before, she was dumbstruck when his expression morphed into one of anger. "I'm doing the best I know how, Jessie! You don't think it's killing me inside to see you like this and be helpless? I've let you sleep and mope and starve yourself for almost four weeks, now."

"Well that's what you do all the time!"

"Not like this! If it had been me you would have been yelling and whining about how I never do any of my share of the work and it's always my fault that our plans fail. You'd have been slapping and punching and whacking me until I was black and blue."

She scoffed. "I never hurt you _that_ much."

In response, he turned around and lifted his shirt. In the small of his back was a bruise just as bad as, if not worse than, the one fading on his forehead. She stifled a gasp and her eyes got wide. But when…?!

"This was from when you kicked me a few days ago. Because I burned one of the eggs." She felt sick looking at it, but couldn't pull away her gaze. As the nausea began to worsen, she scrambled for something to say. There was no way she would let him have the last word.

"Well, that's how I always act!" _...Way to go. What a brilliant argument._

"Oh? And now you're starting this again?! Something is wrong, Jessie, and you know it." He turned to face her again. "Meowth and I are doing our best to be understanding, but it's a little hard when we can't read your mind and you insist that you're fine. We want to help you, but you're refusing every time we offer. You just complain and whine and snap at us. How _dare_ we try to help! You're acting like you don't even want to be better."

Now it felt like he was the one doing the punching, and she had just taken a hit to the stomach. Until it he had said it aloud, she hasn't realized just how much she had feared that very possibility: that, deep down, she was enjoying this, that she liked having James worried about her and being taken care of and not having to do any work. Just the thought made her sick; had there been anything in her stomach she was sure she would have thrown up.

"You know what, James? Just shut up! I'm going back to sleep." She stomped away in the direction she was pretty sure they had come.

"See if I care!" he shouted at her back.

"I will!" she shouted back, and then she ran.

 **Author's Note:** I love you guys. You're all so sweet. :)

Since clearly posting regularly isn't working, I'm just going to give you guys the rest before this goes un-updated for two years. Thanks for sticking with it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

It was a good long while before she slowed down, and that was only because she realized she had absolutely no idea where she was or where she was going. She sank down in the mud and rested against the base of a tall tree, not caring that she was getting dirty.

She'd fought with James before, but never like this. Guilt was already weighing her down and she couldn't forget the image of the bruise on his back. An injury she had caused directly in her anger. She wondered if someone were to come along and poke her, if they would find anything other than a little loose dirt inside.

The muscles in her face tensed as she felt something wet trail down her cheek. She wiped at it furiously. "Stop it." She clenched her teeth and said it again, louder and more punctuated. Of course, her body wouldn't listen and more tears poured. She gave up and stared at the leaves of the tree above her, rainwater creating its own streams down her face.

She didn't notice the splashes until they were only a few feet away. She turned to look just as James sat down beside her, then rested her head against the tree's trunk and looked up again.

A minute or two passed in silence before he spoke. "Jessie… I'm sorry." She didn't move. "I shouldn't have yelled. I know this isn't you; you're sick and it's changing how you think and feel." Again, she didn't respond, though her tears slowed. "But, please, trust me enough to let me help. I really care about you and I'm worried."

"But I'm fine." Her voice, weak from all the shouting and resisting, told otherwise. Still, she held onto her heart with a white-knuckled grip.

"You're not perfect, and that's okay." His voice, on the other hand, was soft and soothing. She felt her hold loosen, his euphonious words prying her fingers away one by one. "It's what having friends is all about."

She supposed the third time must have been a charm because, though she had shown weakness in front of James before, she could tell this time was different. As she let go, she screamed in anguish and shouted, "I hate myself!" Maybe if she screamed loud enough he couldn't call her weak? "Neither of you have said anything, but I know that I'm the reason things have been so terrible recently. I'm worthless, hopeless, and for some reason I can't find the bright side anymore! Only spoiled little brats can afford to think negatively, so that's what I must be."

She screamed again, this time dissolving into suddenly quiet sobs. James held her close and murmured words of encouragement she couldn't quite hear. His breath tickled her ear while her tears dripped onto his already soaked shirt. When she noticed that his soft voice was twirling its way into a melody, she listened harder, finally making out the words. "Until the tears have left your eyes, until the fears can sleep at night, until the demons that you're scared of disappear inside, until this guilt begins to crack and the weight falls from your back, oh my dear, I'll keep you in my arms tonight."

She had mostly stopped crying now. "That was… really nice," she said quietly and hesitantly. "What was it?"

James blushed. "It's a song Nanny used to sing to me when I was upset as a child. It was always nice to see that someone cared about me."

"Hmm? Oh, right, your pathetic excuse for parents." He nodded. His arms were still wrapped around her and she welcomed them, but not in the same way she had before. Instead of revelling in the butterflies his touch created, she simply let herself be filled with warmth. "You know," she said. "This is the first time in awhile that I don't feel all hollow inside." And then she looked up.

At some point, the sun had started to rise, though the both of them had missed it. However, the rain had finally stopped, and the combination of the moist air and bright light created a brilliant rainbow in the already beautiful sunrise. Jessie took a sharp breath, letting it out letting it out in a whispered, "Wow." She felt less like a scarecrow than she had in ages.

"My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky," James said. When she turned her head up to look at him a bit questioningly, he blushed, not meeting her eyes, and added, "It's… a poem. By Wordsworth."

Any other time, she might have laughed. For now, she surprised herself by asking, "What's the rest of it?"

He let out a breath she hadn't realized he was holding and happily obliged. "My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky: / So was it when my life began; / So is it now I am a man; / So be it when I shall grow old, or let me die!" As he took a breath, she realized how much she was holding onto the words. There was a certain flow and sense to them that she hadn't ever found when studying poetry in school. Maybe it was that now James was reciting it for her. "The Child is father of the Man; / And I could wish my days to be / Bound each to each by natural piety."

She sighed and leaned into him, gazing at the multicolored sky. "I never knew you liked poetry so much."

"Heh, I've always hoped you wouldn't find out because I was sure you'd make fun of me."

"For a good reason. Any other time and I would have."

There was a long, quiet pause where all they could hear was birdsong and their own, quiet breaths. Then James spoke again. "You know… I love the way that poetry is so honest and true without directly saying everything. What you were talking about earlier reminds me of another poem: Eliot's 'The Hollow Men'."

He waited, probably trying to decide whether her small gasp meant he should stop. "What's it about?" she prodded.

"Well," he said. "It's about how humanity is essentially a bunch of scarecrows; you know, hollow but stuffed with straw because we're full of things that, in reality, don't matter. And it talks about the Shadow that falls between 'the idea and the reality' and stuff, like we can't act or change anything. It's pretty incredible."

She gave a sardonic laugh. "Yeah, I really do know."

She looked back at his face, watching his eyes sparkle with excitement as he said, "But that's only a statement of the problem. Sometimes, poetry can show us the solution, too."

She was starting to get a little tired, but she persisted. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Dylan Thomas wrote this great poem for his father, who was dying, but it's about more than just life and death." Jessie relaxed into him, closing her eyes and listening as he recited. "Do not go gentle into that good night, / Old age should burn and rave at close of day; / Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

If she had thought the rainbow poem sounded nice, this was like a symphony in comparison. James's voice flowed over the words like a wave, smooth and rolling. If she'd been any less interested in the poem itself, it would have lulled her to sleep.

"Though wise men at their end know dark is right, / Because their words had forked no lightning they / Do not go gentle into that good night.

"Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright / Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light." In her mind, she could see the aquamarine water, still and clear as glass. Something, however, was stirring in her, though she didn't know how to describe it.

"Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, / And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, / Do not go gentle into that good night.

"Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight / Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

"And you, my father, there on the sad height, / Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. / Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

The pair sat again in silence, simply taking in the shifting sky before them and thinking about the words. Then James began again, "'The Hollow Men' is hopeless, revealing the dark depths of humanity with no escape. This, though… Even when 'dark is right' and we are Hollow, we can do our best to fight it and be bright. Even if we change just one person's life… maybe that makes it all worthwhile after all."

As a pale blue began to spread across the sky, Jessie realized what had been stirring: for the first time in a long while, she felt the smallest shred of hope.


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The week saw them falling into a routine. Jessie and James would wake up early and watch the sunrise on that hill. They would make their way back for breakfast, get teased a bit by Meowth, and then help care for the pokèmon in the greenhouse. Nanny and Pop-Pop - the couple insisted that Jessie call them that, too - were impressed with her nursing skills and she was surprised to find she enjoyed the work. It felt strangely nice to be able to help heal an ailing oddish or injured aipom.

In the afternoons they tended to Pikachu, at first with potions, medicine, and a cast, and later with a sort of physical therapy. Its long fall had altered its ability to channel and generate electricity, yet they were all hoping that with daily exercise and healing massages it would make a full recovery. It had fallen to them to take care of the electric mouse pokèmon, seeing as James and Meowth had tried to contact Ash and were refused with a slightly crazed laugh.

As for its attitude, once it realized that the trio wasn't going to take it to their boss and, in fact, was only trying to help it get better, it calmed down and worked with them. For once, they were all appreciative of its spunk and tenacity as it put in tremendous effort day in and day out.

Jessie herself was also slowly recovering. It wasn't easy, but she began to understand what James had meant. The more she helped others rather than herself, the more she started to feel full. She still wouldn't call herself "caring" or anything, but with every bandage or spray of potion she fought back against the dying of the light.

Of course, she found that she did need to wear those horrible glasses if she was to help out effectively. Once she got used to them, they actually weren't so bad; James told her she looked radiant in them, and that helped some. She even started to agree after a while.

Meowth was enjoying having other pokèmon to talk to besides Arbok and Weezing and Wobbuffet. He was a huge help to Nanny and Pop-Pop because they could rely on him to translate. With this, they had helped one wooper overcome its fear of the telephone, and had discovered that a sentret couldn't stand strawberries. Meowth, of course, also was given extra special treatment, complete with Pop-Pop's perfect massage.

James, like Jessie, was finding great enjoyment from helping care for the pokèmon. He was also ecstatic because, one morning on the way back from the sunrise, he and Jessie ran into a bayleef with a strange haircut. She had backed off in surprise and fear, but he ran up to it, laughing.

"What are you doing?!" She had hissed.

He just grinned. "Jessie, I'd like you to meet my old friend Chikorita! Well, Bayleef now." It nuzzled him affectionately and he wrapped his arms around its neck. "We had a falling out back when I joined Team Rocket, but I never knew it came back here."

Jessie herself had found a friend in the jigglypuff that had foiled so many of their plans by putting everyone to sleep. It turned out that all it needed was a new song for people to stay awake, and the pair had enjoyed singing together. When it asked her to be its trainer she was shocked, and she realized how far she had come from a few months before.

(O)

They knew Pikachu was better when, during a battle with Jessie, it managed to blast her and all her pokèmon off. They then packed up and headed off, finding Ash in a terrible state. When he saw Pikachu, his face lit up, though it took him a while to be able to forgive them.

It was easier when he learned that they had quit Team Rocket for good and were planning to use the rest of their salary to start an honest pokèmon day care. Jessie, who had learned much about pokèmon health while assisting Nanny and Pop-Pop, served as the nurse, while Meowth translated and James treated the pokèmon as if they were his own children.

They surprised everyone they had known by becoming productive citizens of their community, helping people and making true friends in the process. This was their source of happiness, as, day after day, they did not go gentle into that good night. With each smile and every laugh, the three of them together raged against the dying of the light.


	10. Deleted Scene

**Deleted Scene**

Now, Jessie was in the greenhouse, searching for a poor little butterfree that had run away because it _really_ didn't want to get its shot. She tromped through the greenhouse for over an hour before she found it, lying fast asleep in a patch of grass with strange doodles across its face.

"Ugh, not Jigglypuff," she groaned.

Sure enough, the balloon pokèmon waddled into the clearing just as she was about to inject the sleeping pokèmon. Panicking, because it would be a nightmare to try to catch butterfree again, she decided her best option was to keep Jigglypuff from singing.

"Say, Jigglypuff!" She gave a nervous laugh as the pokèmon, holding its microphone to its mouth, turned her way with a startled noise. "Uh, have you ever thought of singing a different song?"

It looked at her, shaking its head and lowering the microphone. She was in position now, so close to finishing her job. Just a few more seconds…

"Is it because you don't know any other songs?" It nodded, just as she pressed down the syringe. Success!

Now she was free to focus on Jigglypuff. She processed what she had just said and was a little surprised. After all this time, you'd think it would know something besides its usual lullaby. "Would you… like me to teach you one?" Maybe if it knew some other song to sing, it wouldn't put everyone to sleep all the time and her face would stay doodle-free.

It nodded again happily, probably thinking along the same lines. She chuckled a bit. It was actually pretty cute when she stopped trying to run away and plug her ears. "I have a couple more things to take care of. If you help me out, then I will."

It was actually very helpful over the next little bit as she administered more Wing Pox shots. Most of the other flying pokèmon who needed it tried the same routine as the butterfree, but with Jigglypuff's sleeping song they were able to finish the whole bath relatively quickly, as long as Jessie was far enough away that she didn't get knocked out, too.

Before they knew it, they were up in her room, snacking on some of Nanny's fresh picked oran berries. Of course, now that she was supposed to teach the balloon pokèmon, she realized she had absolutely no clue where to begin. "Umm…" Maybe she should start with basic songs, as if she were working with a toddler. "Try this: Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream."

As it copied her, she was quite pleased to notice that she didn't feel drowsy at all. The pokèmon was even happier when she didn't fall asleep, bouncing and shouting happily.

Meowth poked his head in, also munching on some berries. "What's all 'da ruckus for?"

After explaining the situation, the cat pokèmon decided to stay for Jigglypuff's rendition of "Baa, Baa Mareep" and "You Are My Sunshine". It even gave him some singing tips when he tried to join in, which was good because saying that Meowth's voice stank worse than a gloom would be putting it kindly.

As they moved on to more and more complicated songs (Their show's theme, Edelweiss, Bohemian Rhapsody, Castle on a Cloud…) James came and joined them. Soon Jigglypuff and Jessie were putting on a concert for a very awake audience, including Nanny and Pop-Pop and lots of wandering pokèmon. Not one of them fell asleep, and Jigglypuff was having the time of its life.

That evening, the balloon pokèmon decided to stay with them, specifically with Jessie. Just before they went to bed, it dragged Meowth down the hallway. "Jiggly Jig Jigglypuff!"

He yawned, rubbing his eyes before translating, "It says t'anks for today and wants ta' know if you'll be its trainer from now on."

Now Jessie understood why James never caught his pokèmon the normal way. Knowing that a pokèmon wanted to be with you and that it was choosing of its own free will was so very rewarding.

"It would be nice to have someone good to sing with," she said, eyes sparkling. "Welcome to the team."

 **Author's Note:** Have a deleted scene because Jigglypuff. :) It takes place in the middle of the epilogue.


End file.
